No shortage of fouls, free throws for Gonzaga, West Virginia

SAN JOSE – Neither team filled up the stat sheet, except when it came to the columns for fouls and free throws.

Gonzaga and West Virginia combined for 51 fouls and 61 free throws in Gonzaga’s 61-58 victory in an NCAA tournament game that lacked flow for significant portions.

Nobody fouled out, but six players, three on each team, finished with four fouls. Gonzaga made 21 of 32 free throws while the Mountaineers were a tad better at 21 of 29.

West Virginia’s aggressive, trapping defense doesn’t give opponents much time to think, let alone execute plays. WVU’s press also resulted in a lot of whistles.

Gonzaga, meanwhile, had difficulty containing the Mountaineers’ penetration.

“They were having problems scoring on us, especially when we weren’t fouling them,” Zags coach Mark Few said. “I trusted our defense. We just found a way. You try to run a set or play (against WVU) and they kind of bust you out of everything and put you in some weird spots.”

GU’s Johnathan Williams scored eight points in the first half but sat out the final 7:45 after picking up his second foul.